Welcome to the United Nations
H.E. Ambassador Juan Sandoval Mendiolea
Co-Chair of the Third Annual Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals
Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations
Unlike other periods of great transformation, today’s main global trends are linked to innovative and emerging technologies that are having an immediate and deep impact, bringing both opportunities and challenges to the way we live but mainly to the way we are planning as nation and regions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The next Third Multi-stakeholder Forum on science, technology and innovation for the sustainable development Goals (III STI Forum) to be held at the UN headquarters on June 5-6, co-chaired by Mexico alongside with Japan, will be surrounded by events starting on the 4th of June and continuing on the 7th of June that will bring us the opportunity to learn from a series of multi-stakeholder conversations and discover, understand, and learn about faster and more efficient technological tools to achieve sustainable and resilient societies by 2030. Many of the events will take place for the first time across the week!
Who is invited?
As a main engine of this momentum, the 2030 Agenda not only represents a paradigm shift to approach development universally by providing an overarching framework that sets out the objectives and concrete targets required to tackle our main global challenges. It also launched in 2015, together with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Technology Facilitation Mechanism which includes the STI Forum as one of its main pillars. This yearly opportunity to connect platforms of innovators, enterprises and start-ups, scientists and academy, governments at all levels, women and youth, and the whole of the UN development agencies, will have its third edition next week in order to find ways and tools to improve their livelihoods.
A look into the future
Among the main issues of our discussions, Mexico has put forward as a main issue the review of the impact of rapid technological change on the SDG’s. An issue that has increasingly caught the attention of leaders all over the world and that has become the fourth priority of Secretary General Guterres. We believe that more understanding and partnerships are needed to grasp the opportunities of the latest technological developments, such as AI, robotics, bio and neuro-engineering, new materials, blockchain, geo-engineering, virtual and augmented reality technologies, among others. We have identified how these technologies are all connected and complement one another, having a direct impact on the way we all live.
Other practical technological solutions
The STI Forum will also bring successful local technological developments that can be replied and will recognize 10 young innovators for their outstanding work. Other sessions will focus on capacity building for STI national planning and will benefit from the participation of 10 newly elected eminent experts, while special sessions will be dedicated to spurring the implementation of SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, 15 and 17, through the fulfillment of its targets through science, technology and innovation. Recommendations on public policies will be a wanted and concrete result of the Forum, which will be reflected in our co-chairs Summary Report.
Expected outcomes
Furthermore, being Mexico together with Japan co-chairs of the following STI Forum for 2019, our job will be to keep open the STI doors for youth and all stakeholders and review as well, after four editions, how we can leverage development through science and sustainable technology and innovation.
It is time to create strong multilateral alliances based on human centered innovations and make the Agenda 2030 a reality, not leaving anyone behind.
